Energy chassis and energy exchange device

ABSTRACT

Systems, methods and devices for utilizing an energy chassis device designed to sense, collect, store and distribute energy from where it is available using devices that harvest or convert energy to locations requiring energy such as but not limited to HVAC (heating, ventilation and cooling) systems. The systems, methods and devices can also be used with a next generation geothermal heat exchanger that achieves higher energy harvesting efficiency and provides greater functionality than current geothermal exchangers.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/101,771, filed May 5, 2011, titled “ENERGY CHASSIS AND ENERGYEXCHANGE DEVICE,” now U.S. Pat. No. 9,080,789, which is hereinincorporated by reference in its entirety.

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/101,771 claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 61/331,525, filed May 5, 2010 andtitled “ENERGY CHASSIS AND ENERGY EXCHANGE DEVICE.”

FIELD

This invention relates to building, heating and cooling systems (HVAC)systems and electrical systems, in particular to systems, methods, anddevices used to sense and collect local sources of naturally renewableenergy, to store energy and to redistribute energy to efficiently meetbuilding needs by using a fully integrated, factory assembled device.

BACKGROUND

Energy Consumption Costs and Problems

Energy consumption in commercial buildings is a very expensive componentof the cost for operating and maintaining a building. For example,commercial buildings have expensive air conditioning and heating needswhich over the lifetime of the building often add up to more than doublethe first cost for construction. Attempts over the years to reduceenergy consumption have resulted in adding substantial increases inconstruction costs which are not recouped over the short term.

The typical commercial building heating and cooling system used in theU.S. today is a Variable Air Volume (VAV) system, typically configuredthis system cannot utilize sustainable energy sources. Buildingsrepresent 40% of the energy used in the U.S. and are fueled almostentirely with fossil fuels that are expensive and damaging to theenvironment. There are a number of problems that make these HVAC systemsenergy inefficient, unhealthy, uncomfortable, and that create barriersto adopting new technologies. These problems include:

-   -   Pressure on construction costs encourages owners to keep up        front costs low by purchasing inexpensive, wasteful HVAC systems    -   Wasting excess energy rejected through chillers, etc. rather        than moving it to where it is needed or storing it for later use    -   High energy movement through walls because of inadequate        insulation—in conventional systems the shell is not part of the        solution, but in the invention it can be made to be an energy        storage device    -   Constantly reheating and re-cooling the building mass rather        than holding it at temperature    -   Overbuilt, inefficient systems that could be made much smaller    -   The inability to use local energy (e.g. solar, body heat, etc.)    -   Heating the building when the heating system is least efficient        and likewise cooling the building when the cooling system is        least efficient—with energy storage, this can be reversed to        increase efficiency    -   Geothermal systems are typically more costly to build and their        function is not designed to maximize efficiency which in turn        reduces the use of these systems

The rapidly changing alternative energy technologies that are beingdeveloped are created in silos to perform the functions of thattechnology and do not work together without custom integration. Theseoften prove to be unreliable or fail. Few engineering firms have theresources to research and integrate innovative solutions and as a resultdo not commonly design them into client buildings. This is the way thatair conditioning units were built before Carrier standardized the A/Cunit which is described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,154,263 in which WillisCarrier patented a standard refrigeration unit for a rail car. Thecustom-build process is very expensive and limits market use while thestandardized product brings down costs and expands the market.

While we are aware that there is a great deal of energy availablelocally (e.g. body heat, lighting heat, computer heat, solar thermal,solar photovoltaic, geothermal, etc.) the U.S. has failed to adopt asignificant use of local energy harvesting (i.e. alternative orrenewable energy). According to the U.S. Department of Energy, inSeptember of 2009, alternative energy accounted for less than 1% of theenergy used in the U.S. In order to use local energy harvesting thebuilding must have a system capable of sensing the availability ofdifferent types of energy and of transporting that energy to where it isneeded.

To make that device cost effective, it must be manufacturedinexpensively enough to be affordable at a comparative cost to aconventional HVAC system. Further, in order to make alternative energyequipment affordable it must have a longer range of operation (i.e. useenergy storage) than that of the intermittent energy sources it attemptsto use (e.g. the sun sets, people leave a building, lights are turnedoff, etc.). That intermittent availability can be extended by storingthe thermal energy and this in turn increases the return on investmentmade in the energy harvesting equipment.

Therefore, designing the energy sensing, harvesting, storage,transportation and controls as a single system capable of connecting amultitude of sources to a multitude of uses enables the efficientapplication of alternative energy and increases the return on investmentin the required equipment in order to make it affordable at the currentmarket cost threshold for HVAC equipment.

Geothermal Heat Pump/Heat Exchanger Costs and Problems

Typical geothermal heat pump heat exchangers come in variousconfigurations including vertical closed loop, horizontal closed loop,“Slinky” loop, pond loop, thermal piles, etc. but generally when appliedto a system these configurations have the following characteristics:

-   -   1. A single fluid circuit is applied (e.g. a vertical loop is        not combined with a horizontal loop).    -   2. The fluid in the single fluid circuit is mixed and delivered        to all heating/cooling devices at a constant temperature. This        is the case with U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,571,762 and 7,407,003 issued        to Ross, where both devices manifold all the geothermal bores        together mixing the fluids. This mixing of temperature dilutes        its ability to transfer heat as a result of a reduction of the        temperature difference between the fluid and the terminal heat        transfer device. The greater the temperature difference, the        greater the heat transfer and conversely less temperature        difference means less heat transfer.

Current geothermal heat exchanger design is not optimized to providecooler water to support sensible cooling devices such as radiant coolingpanels and chilled beams. Instead, they mix higher and lower temperaturewater together which reduces the ability to provide sensible coolingwith these devices. Additionally, current geothermal heat exchangerdesign is not configured to maximize the ability to store energy forlater use by mixing/combining various heat exchanger configurations.

Previous art includes combinations made of multiple types of alternativeHVAC equipment such as Nishman U.S. Pat. No. 4,375,806 which combines ageothermal system with a solar hot water panel and a system of sensors,circuits, and controllers that only uses the solar panel and geothermalsystem in combination when it is efficient. Nishman's claims were for asystem that simply turned two sources on or off based on real time(only) efficiency of the two devices (rather than improving efficiencyof the entire system over time). The present invention goes beyondNishman, with both sources controlled individually to be able to useeach source at a variable level to optimize the complete system.

The Ross '762 and '003 patents present a geothermal manifold whichallows geothermal loops to be piped in parallel to each other. Thismethod does not allow for loops to be separated for different uses; itcombines all inputs and all outputs into a two pipe (one in, one out)system. The invention entailed herein uses automated selection of thebest loop(s) to use, and can use loops in different modessimultaneously, can use different types of loops simultaneously, or mixloop fluids as desired for efficiency. Unlike Ross, the presentinvention has the ability to efficiently heat and cool at the same time.It can achieve this via a heat pump or directly from a dedicated hotthermal energy storage and a dedicated cold thermal energy storagesimultaneously.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,360,056 issued to O'Connell on Nov. 23, 1982 teaches asystem with multiple geothermal loops which are pumped separately. Thissystem still combines or mixes all the geothermal fluids into a singlefluid circuit (piped) system with only one inlet and one output. Thisdoes not allow for multiple temperature fluids to be used at the sametime, a functionality that improves energy efficiency.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,934,369 issued Dosani on Aug. 10, 1999 describes amethod and controller for predicting the charging loads and time forthermal energy storage/thermal slabs. Unlike Dosani, the presentinvention goes beyond this previous art. This prediction and knowledgeof thermal energy storage is useful yet it is only fully utilized whencombined with building load predictions, on-peak/off-peak electricalcost rate structure, and controls of sources and sinks as the inventionherein covers.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,778,683 issued to Drees on Jul. 14, 1998, titled“Thermal storage system controller and method” teaches a utility ratewith a peak rate structure; it does not entail thermal storage forreduction of system size and for increasing the availability ofsustainable energy as the present invention does. Drees entails a datastructure of the utility rate structure and determines the relativecost-effectiveness of using thermal storage versus non-thermal storageand also how much of the thermal storage capacity can be used. It doesnot cover the thermal capacity and charge/discharge ratepredictions/measurements that Dosani does. As it does not combine theseinputs, it cannot reach the most efficient energy use solution. Thepresent invention does have the additional functionality to create themost efficient energy system. The present invention also includes thesystem design function to increase efficiency savings by predicting thethermal storage performance along with a matrix of other factors whichallow the system to be properly sized and not waste first cost capitalon an oversized, less efficient HVAC system.

The need exists for solutions to the above problems with the prior art.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

A primary objective of the present invention is to provide systems,methods and devices for a simple to implement, multifunctional, factoryproduced, self-contained (aside from sources/sinks/storage and piping),fully integrated, automated heating and cooling system that incorporatesmethods and devices required for a building HVAC system that includes,but is not limited to, automated real time and future energy requirementprojections for a building, or group of buildings, to more efficientlymeet building energy requirements. This energy management capabilityuses devices having the automated functionality of energy sensing, loadforecasting, harvesting, storage, management and transportation toincrease the efficiency of building heating and cooling systems whilesimplifying the design and construction of the building energy system.This system requires much less custom engineering, less on-siteconstruction time and complexity than currently available alternatives.

A secondary objective of the present invention is to provide systems,methods and devices to adapt computer technology to inventory energysources that uses sinks and computer technology to control the heatexchanger, refrigerant, sensors, motors, pumps, valves and energycollection devices required to harvest energy from multiple localsources.

A third objective of the present invention is to provide systems,methods and devices to efficiently transport energy from where it isproduced where it is needed without introducing a lot of complexity tothe construction process. This includes set up screens for the systemthat allow it to be easily customized to the implementation.

A fourth objective of the present invention is to provide systems,methods and devices for a mechanical-controlled and computer-controlledfluid mix determination and temperature-control systems andinterconnectivity functionality including methods and devices forcontrolling the transportation and exchange of energy. Thisfunctionality facilitates the selection, interconnection and switchingrequired for the mixing and use of common and uncommon sources ofenergy, so as to use that energy more efficiently. Said functionalityalso facilitates the selection, switching, and interconnection of thecommon and uncommon devices including solar collectors, geothermal,energy recovery units, fuel cells and other sources of energy requiredto use said sources and to allow the sources to be mixed to increase theefficiency of the energy harvesting, to use multiple inputs connected tomultiple outputs, and to provide significant increase in energy synergy.

A fifth objective of the present invention is to provide fullyintegrated and automated systems, methods and devices for providing anext generation geothermal heat exchanger that employs the ability tomix different types of loops in a single implementation, to charge someof the loops with thermal energy while others are being simultaneouslydischarged and to store energy in the loops and that incorporates theintelligence and controls of the system into a standardized product thatcan be attached to any form of closed loop geothermal heat pump system.This geothermal heat exchanger can be used as an optional addition tothe energy chassis device (i.e. the complete central heating, coolingand energy management system that includes the computer, software,refrigerant-based heat transfer device such as a heat pump, circulatingpumps and variable speed drives, interconnecting piping, sensors andcontrol devices, plus the electrical connections, inverters, switches,fuses and wiring and the like required to manage and control theelectrical and HVAC system), or in a stand-alone configuration tosignificantly reduce the custom engineering, construction time andconstruction complexity required to implement a geothermal system withequivalent functionality.

A sixth objective of the present invention is to provide systems,methods and devices for providing a next generation geothermal heatexchanger that uses emerging computer technology, sensor and controltechnology, advanced heating and cooling concepts, and the ability topackage the intelligence and control platform into a standardizedproduct for a combination and integration of technology that increasesthe performance of the geothermal system while maintaining, or reducing,the installed cost of the system.

A seventh objective of the present invention is to provide systems,methods, and devices for providing a next generation geothermal heatexchanger which can potentially perform building sensible cooling forapproximately 60 to approximately 80% of the total cooling load, withoutthe aid of energy consuming compressors and can be used as a componentof a total building energy system, or as a standalone device/unit.

An eighth objective of the present invention is to provide systems,methods, and devices for managed and measured short and long-termthermal energy storage in a hybrid configuration (i.e. the combinationof multiple types of sources/sinks in the same system), utilizingvarious forms of geothermal heat exchanger configurations in addition toenergy storage within the building fabric (structure) via embeddedhydronic piping that can also be combined with other thermal storagesuch as phase change materials/ice storage, chilled water storage, phasechange materials/hot water storage, etc. The invention allows forintegration with all thermal energy storage known in the art, as well asany future energy storage. The use of thermal energy storage time shiftsenergy harvested from the environment, so it can be used when theoriginal source is not available (e.g. the sun is down, waste heat isnot being produced, people have left the building, and the like). Thisallows multiple sources of energy to be merged so that when one sourceis insufficient, or too expensive to implement to meet the full loadrequirement, multiple sources can be used to reduce the amount ofcapital required to build the entire system that makes each sourceavailable in a reservoir, so that it may be reliably used according toprojected system needs and optimization calculations.

A first embodiment of the present invention provides a method fordetermining an optimal use of plural different thermal energy sourcesand sinks including storage in a heating and cooling system. The stepsinclude determining a thermal energy stored in one or more of thethermal sources available to be extracted or utilized by the system;determining a thermal energy capacity of one or more thermal sinksavailable to be utilized by the system; determining a thermal energystorage and dissipation rate for the one or more thermal source, sinksand storage; analyzing a thermal storage capacity for a preselected timeperiod; predicting a thermal energy loss and gain and a thermalretention over a storage period; comparing available thermal sources toa target parameter; selecting at least one of the thermal sources andsinks; and initiating a use of the selected at least one thermal sourceand sink.

A second embodiment provides a geothermal heat exchanger system thatincludes multiple different independent geothermal fluid sources andsinks and multiple geothermal heat exchanger fluid circuits which arecirculated or grouped independently to allow the multiple differentgeothermal fluid sources and sinks to be used simultaneously asindependent sources and sinks for use as a hot, cold or othertemperature fluid source or sink. One or more of the independentgeothermal fluid sources can be dedicated for use as thermal storage andthe thermal storage is designed to store energy for a predetermined timeperiod. One or more of the multiple independent geothermal fluid sourcescan be configured to optimize performance as a hot or cold loop and aflow of fluid for each of the multiple independent geothermal fluidsources are independently connected to be controlled by a computercontroller for use and mixing. In an embodiment, a geothermal heatexchanger is connected with one or more of the selected multipleindependent geothermal fluid sources for a preselected use.

A third embodiment of the invention provides prefabricated centralenergy plant for the process and transportation of air conditioning,heating, ventilation, electricity, or any combination thereof in abuilding, community, or campus. The energy plant includes pluralconnections for multiple sources and sinks of thermal fluid andelectrical energy, multiple independent fluid lines each having anindependent fluid temperature, a computer controlled valve and pumpconnected with at least one of the multiple independent fluid lines forcontrolling fluid movement and mixing, and at least one computerintegrated sensor for sensing at least one of a temperature, flow rate,energy transfer rate and total energy transfer. The energy plant canalso include one or more of at least one of hybrid fluid sinks and ahybrid fluid sources dedicated to one or more of a hot fluid, a coldfluid and a preselected temperature fluid for thermal storage for apredetermined storage duration. The energy plant can also include a heatpump connected to at least one of the multiple fluid sources and sinks,a control valve connected between the heat pump and at least one of themultiple fluid sources and sinks, a sensor connected between the heatpump and at least one of the multiple fluid sources and sinks, and apump connected to pump a fluid from at least one of the multiple fluidsources and sinks to the heat pump and can include a two-endeddistribution header having separate supply and return line that directsa warm fluid to one end and a cool fluid cooler than the warm fluid tothe other end of the two-ended distribution header.

The energy plant can also include one or more of a fabricated skid ormodular transportable unit wherein the prefabricated central energyplant is scalable and the prefabricated central energy plant can beexpandable by adding at least one of a second modular transportableunit, a domestic hot water source, additional heating units, additionalchilling units, additional thermal energy storage units, additionalsensors, additional pumps, additional valves, and the like.

In regard to the computer system, the energy plant can include one ormore of an algorithm for metering and billing of a heating and coolingsupply based on usage, an artificial intelligence software executed by acomputer to controllably mix and move fluid to and from one or more ofthe multiple fluid sources and sinks and to and from one or more of themultiple electrical sources; an integration software for configurationand set up and a software and internet or LAN connection to track andshare performance data with the designer and building operator.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent fromthe following detailed description of preferred embodiments which areillustrated schematically in the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a schematic of the energy chassis system with a computerfor controlling heating and cooling operations in a commercial building.

FIG. 2 shows a schematic of the energy exchange unit with computer (i.e.the system that manages the sensing, independent routing, selecting ofenergy sources and uses including the computer, software, circulatingpumps and variable speed drives, interconnecting piping, electricalconnections, inverters, switches, fuses, wiring, sensors and controldevices and the like, to manage and operate the system) for a commercialbuilding according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram of the energy system managementcomputer interfaces and databases according to a preferred embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an intelligent independent fluid selectionshowing the energy exchange unit interfaced with sources/sinks andsystem loads.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of hybrid energy harvesting and thermalstorage management according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing multiple different independentgeothermal loops.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the system load data according to anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 shows a variety of user inputs and set points by zones.

FIG. 9 shows a variety of collective data for different types of sourcesand sinks.

FIG. 10 shows an example of different system data and equipmentspecifications.

FIG. 11 shows energy management computer data types and differentoptimization target parameters.

FIG. 12 shows building and system controls and examples of designmethod, engineering and software data.

FIG. 13 is a schematic block diagram showing examples of system loadsignals.

FIG. 14 is a schematic block diagram showing an example of an optimizedcontrol method.

FIG. 15 is a process flow diagram showing process optimization.

FIG. 16 is a process flow diagram showing optimization of sources andsinks.

FIG. 17 shows examples of data used to design an energy chassis deviceand energy exchange device according to a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 18 is a process flow diagram showing an example of designoptimization according to a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Before explaining the disclosed embodiments of the present invention indetail it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in itsapplication to the details of the particular arrangements shown sincethe invention is capable of other embodiments. Also, the terminologyused herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation.

The following is a list of reference numerals used in the descriptionand the drawings to identify components:

1 hot fluid return 2 hot fluid source 3 energy chassis 4 cold fluidreturn 5 cold fluid source 6 temp. indicator and sensor 7 flow meter 8three-way control valve 9 isolation valve 10 variable volume circulationpump 11 fluid-to-fluid refrigeration-based heat pump 12 supply from“warm” side of energy exchange device 13 return connection to “warm”side of energy exchange device 14 computer-based control system 15supply connection from “cool” side of energy exchange device 16 returnconnection to “cool” side of energy exchange device 17 variable volumecirculation pump 20 geothermal earth heat exchanger return 21 geothermalearth heat exchanger supply 22 Vertical closed loop geothermal heatexchange 27 exchanger computer 23 horizontal, “Slinky” closed loopgeothermal heat exchanger 29 heat exchanger 31 energy sys managementcomputer 32 real-time load/demand 33 historical tracking of loads 34user inputs to load predictions 35 internet/LAN interface 36 buildingand system sensors 37 building and systems controls 38 database,history, real-time and predicted 39 database, system updates 41 energyexchange unit 42 contoller 43 fluid control valves 44 fluid mixer 46thermal storage unit

The following is a list of definitions for terminology is usedthroughout the detailed description and appended claims.

Coolth: The noun form of “cool”; opposite of warmth.

Energy Demand: User driven requirements to change building set pointsfor temperature, humidity, air quality, and electricity.

Energy Sink aka Sink: An environment capable of absorbing energy from anobject with which it is in thermal contact. A sink can be used fordepositing, or dissipating heat. A sink can under certain conditionsbecome a reservoir for the storage of heat or coolth energy that canthen be extracted for use upon demand.

Break even date: number of years until apparatus is paid off, via energysavings, tax incentives, and the like Coolth energy is sometimes used asa linguistic convenience to describe cooling as a form of energy likeheat (this is common usage, but not technically correct because cool isthe absence of thermal energy).

Energy Chassis Device: The complete central heating, cooling and energymanagement system that includes the computer, software,refrigerant-based heat transfer device such as a heat pump, circulatingpumps and variable speed drives, interconnecting piping, sensors andcontrol devices, plus the electrical connections, inverters, switches,fuses and wiring and the like required to manage and control theelectrical and HVAC system.

Energy Exchange Device: The system that manages the sensing, independentrouting, selecting of energy sources and uses including the computer,software, circulating pumps and variable speed drives, interconnectingpiping, electrical connections, inverters, switches, fuses, wiring,sensors and control devices and the like to manage and operate thesystem.

Energy Source: A device, or material from which energy can be extracted.That energy can be of any type including coolth, heat energy, orelectrical.

Equipment Specifications: response time, BTUor/TON capability,differential accuracy, efficiency, controllability, flow rate, energyflow rate, power usage, residual generation, cooling mechanisms andeffectiveness and the like.

Hybrid sources/sinks: The combination of multiple types of sources/sinksin the same system, e.g. a vertical bore geothermal field in the samesystem as a slinky loop horizontal geothermal bore filed, or a coolingtower combined with a solar thermal panel combined with a closed loopvertical bore field, and the like.

HVAC: Heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning.

Internet/LAN: Access to the internet that can be wired or wireless.

Independent connections: Fluids from each source or to each sink in thesystem can be used independently, or mixed but are not required to bemixed as current art does.

Load: Work (i.e. heating, cooling, lighting, the operation of plug indevices) that is to be done. Building load refers to the amount ofenergy required for the building to maintain temperature, humidity, airquality, or the energy required to meet electrical device (i.e. “plugload”) demands.

Modular: Can be scaled up or down in size by adding or replacing units,combined with others, and can be transported.

Operating cost: energy cost, maintenance cost, part replacement cost,service cost, and the like.

Optimized: Optimal based on one or more optimization characteristics.

Optimization target parameters include: initial cost, operating cost,lifecycle cost, break even date, energy usage, environmental impact,thermal comfort, indoor air quality and the like.

Optimal system performance: when user weighted parameters are determinedand the energy system is subsequently, successfully operated to thoseparameters with the least margin of standard error.

Optimal selection: matching user weighted parameters with the leastmargin of standard error.

Performance characteristics: Energy capacity, energy decay and gain,energy dissipation rate, efficiency, environmental impact and the likefor each of the different energy types. Prefabricated: Manufactured inan offsite facility as a pre integrated, transportable, installable,unit.

System data: Equipment identification and specification, pipingspecifications, radiant specifications, duct specifications, and thelike.

Thermal storage: A material, device, substance for the use of storingheat or coolth energy, e.g. geothermal, phase change, building fabric,and the like.

User inputs: include desired temperature, desired humidity, predicted orplanned occupancy, equipment operation schedule, ventilation and thelike, for one or more heating and cooling zone.

The present invention relates to systems, methods, and devices used tosense and collect local sources of naturally renewable energy, to storeenergy and to redistribute energy to efficiently meet building needs byusing a fully integrated, factory assembled device. This device usesequipment that harvests or converts energy, stores energy and moves thatenergy to locations requiring energy. The device can also includeoptional equipment including a next generation geothermal heat exchangerthat achieves higher energy harvesting efficiency and provides greaterfunctionality than current geothermal exchangers.

While the invention is described for heating and cooling of an interiorspace, the energy chassis device can be used to provide electricalpower. For example, the energy chassis device can be connected with avariety of electrical sources such as an electrical grid, a solarphotovoltaic electricity generator, a wind powered electricity generatorand the like. In this example, the software would track and predictelectrical usage and the cost of providing electrical from each of thesources, then determine which electrical source to use to best meet thevarious electrical loads.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a preferred embodiment of the energychassis system with a computer controller for controlling heating andcooling operations in a commercial building. As shown, the energychassis device enclosure 3 includes a hot fluid return 1 connection fromthe heating loads, a hot fluid supply 2 connection to the heating loads,a cold fluid return 4 from the loads and a cold fluid supply 5 to thecooling loads with a temperature sensor and indicator 6 for monitoringthe temperature of the hot and cold inputs and outputs and produce acorresponding temperature signal that is fed into the computercontroller 14. The energy chassis device enclosure also includes asupply connection 12 from “warm” side of energy exchange device and areturn connection 13 to “warm” side of energy exchange device.Similarly, the cold side includes a supply connection 15 from “cold”side of energy exchange device and a return connection 16 to “warm” sideof energy exchange device.

Each of the hot fluid supply 2 and the cold fluid supply 5 lines alsoinclude a flow meter 7 to monitor the flow of fluid out of the energychassis device and a variable volume circulation pump 17 to provide hotor cold fluid directly to the loads without refrigeration systemoperation and allows the computer controller 14 to monitor and controlthe fluid into and out of the energy chassis device enclosure 3. Eachhot fluid return 1 and cold fluid return 4 includes an isolation valve8, 11. A three-way control valve 8 is provided for selectivelycontrolling fluid into and out of each individual fluid-to-fluidrefrigeration-based heat pump 11. The system can be configured to have adifferent quantity and size of the heat pumps 11 depending on thebuilding that is being heated and cooled. The fluid line between thethree-way control valves 8 and the heat pump 11 includes temperaturesensors 6, isolation valves 9 and a variable volume circulation pump 10in the input line between isolation valves 9 on each of the hot and thecold sides of the heat pump 11.

FIG. 2 shows a schematic of the energy exchange unit system with acomputer controller 27 for a commercial building. The energy exchangeunit is the system component of the energy chassis device. Theembodiment shown in FIG. 2 illustrates the energy exchange connected togeothermal loops. This is one possible configuration and should not beused to limit the scope of the invention as claimed.

The hot and cold input 2, 5 and output lines 1, 4 of the geothermalenergy exchange unit shown in FIG. 2 are similar to the configurationshown in FIG. 1 including temperature sensors 6 and variable circulationpumps 8 to and from the heat exchanger 29 and between the heat exchanger29 and the vertical closed loop geothermal heat exchanger 32 andhorizontal, “Slinky” closed loop geothermal heat exchanger 33.

The energy exchange device is a standalone component of the energychassis device that provides energy transfer, switching, and mixingcapability to allow multiple sources of energy to be utilizedsimultaneously. In a preferred embodiment, the energy chassis deviceincludes the energy exchange device as well as the heat pumps, pumps,valves piping and the like normal to a heat pump heating and coolingsystem. In order to improve the synergy of the system, the energyexchange determines and utilizes the most cost-effective real time andpredictive combination of sources required to meet the load demand. Theenergy exchange then mixes and delivers the energy from the selectedsources for use, possibly by multiple devices. This energy exchangedevice can be used to both acquire needed energy, or to manage thestorage of excess energy.

The co-inventors' studies of buildings being built today to ASHRAE90.1-2007 Standard show that with the use of the energy chassis deviceaccording to the present invention, as the central component of a totalbuilding, can reduce building energy consumption by approximately 35 toapproximately 50% with little, or no increase in construction cost. Toachieve this level of energy savings requires that the energy chassis bea standardized product in lieu of the traditional approach whichattempts to create a unique, one-of-a-kind field-constructed systemwithin each construction project.

There is a precedent for this strategy. A similar approach to creating astandardized product that embodied the technical solution for airconditioning and reduced the complexity of designing and installing airconditioning is credited to Mr. Willis Carrier who founded Carrier Corp.the largest manufacturer of air conditioning equipment. His efforts tomake standardized air conditioners that could be mass marketed aregenerally seen as making air conditioning both reliable and affordable.This was achieved in part because he eliminated the need for a customdesign and on-site assembly increased reliability. With this strategy hesucceeded in building the Carrier Corporation. The energy chassis deviceof the present invention is designed to be manufactured in a processthat includes techniques to reduce manufacturing costs and increasequality as compared to solutions that are integrated solely on theconstruction site.

The energy chassis device consists of several primary components whichmay include refrigerant-based fluid-to-fluid heat pumps or chillersconnected to an energy transportation system composed of PEX tubingembedded in concrete, or similar water transport devices and/or hollowcore concrete that can use forced air to transport energy designed to becompatible with radiant heating and cooling and thermal storage. Pluraldifferent energy harvesting devices can be used, some existing and somenot yet perfected or imagined, with software models that predict theperformance of the plural different devices under a range ofcircumstances and provide the data required to optimize the entiresystem.

FIG. 3 is schematic block diagram of the energy system managementcomputer interfaces and databases according to a preferred embodiment ofthe present invention. As shown, the energy system management computeris interfaced with real time load/demand data 32, historical loadtracking data 33, user inputs for a user to input load predictions 34(FIG. 8) for each zone, a data base 38 for storing history, real time,and predictive data, failure or alarm notice output to system,installer, user, and/or owner and a memory to store data related tosystem updates, patches, add on packages 39. The energy systemmanagement computer also includes an interface with the building sensors36 and controls 37 and an Internet/LAN interface for receiving real-timeinformation such as weather forecast, and electrical rate structure 35.

The energy chassis device computer controller includes data bases withparametric optimization models that can be executed to determine thecomponents, component characteristics, and size that will optimize foruser determined parameters for the system design. This step reduces thecustom engineering required to configure the system properly fordifferent buildings and environmental situations. The energy chassisdevice also includes plate and frame heat exchangers or similar fordirect heat transfer without using a refrigeration system, circulatingpumps with variable frequency drives, control valves and sensors asshown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an intelligent independent fluid selectionsystem showing energy exchange unit 41 with a computer-based controller42 interfaced with sources and sinks A, B and C, with fluid mixers 44and flow control valves 43 to one or more loads X, Y and Z, three in theexample shown.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing hybrid energy harvesting fromdifferent sources such as, but not limited to, solar A, geothermal B,the outdoor environment C, body heat D and other sources E to the energyexchange unit 41 shown in FIG. 4 to and from the thermal storage unit46.

Referring to FIG. 1 in conjunction with FIG. 2, each of the heat pumps11 is piped to access the following fluid streams via various controlvalue sequences, the hot fluid supply/return 1 and 2, chilled fluidsupply/return 4 and 5, warm geothermal fluid supply/return 12 and 13 andcool geothermal fluid supply/return 15 and 16. Additional customtemperature fluids are optional. The energy chassis device includescomputer controller to selectively position control valves 8, 9 andcontrol the speed of the circulating pumps 10 to allow each heat pumpmodule 11 to operate independently to move heat from any fluid to anyother fluid.

When fluid temperatures are in the range required for cooling thebuilding space, the device can use a plate and frame heat exchanger toprovide chilled fluid from the cool geothermal fluid 15 and 16 byoperating the circulating pumps 10 only and not operating therefrigeration system thereby significantly reducing energy consumptionand increasing energy efficiency. Additionally the system can manage thevarious thermal energy storage devices to add heat to, or subtract heatfrom the various fluid paths.

The computer-based control system determines on a real-time basis thecurrent heating and cooling current energy need and the projected energyneed. In real time, using the internet, the system includes currentelectricity rate structures and on-peak/off-peak rate structures as wellas voluntary electrical load shedding or rescheduling. Predictions forthe projected energy needs are based partly upon one, or more of weatherforecasts provided via internet connection and accumulatedbuilding/weather performance response history. The energy chassis systemincludes artificial intelligence software that uses the weather data andthe building performance response history to optimize the use of energybased on one or more of the present and predicted cost of the energy andthe environmental impact. Then, based upon these loads and thetemperatures of the various fluid streams, the control system determineswhich individual fluid stream or combination of fluid streams to extractheat from or deposit heat into, to optimize energy cost.

The controller also maintains communication with the next generationgeothermal heat exchanger (described below) to optimize its operationwith consideration for current and projected energy needs and fluidtemperatures. The control system also logs all operating parameters toallow for system tuning and optimization as well as providinginformation related to equipment failure for trouble shooting and logsoperating parameters to allow for system tuning and optimization as wellas providing information related to equipment failure for troubleshooting. FIG. 9 shows a variety of collective data for different typesof sources and sinks such as fabric, geothermal, phase change, etc.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing multiple different independentgeothermal loops connected to a central plant. This heat exchanger takesadvantage of installing the intelligence and controls of the system intoa standardized product that can be attached to any form of closed loopgeothermal heat pump system. It uses emerging computer, sensor, andcontrol technology, advanced heating and cooling concepts, and theability to package the intelligence and control platform into astandardized product to increase the performance of the geothermalsystem while maintaining, or reducing the cost of the system. Buildingsensible cooling often equal to approximately 60 to approximately 80% ofthe total cooling load, can potentially be performed without the aid ofenergy consuming compressors. The heat exchanger can be used as acomponent of a total building energy system, or stand alone.

A typical geothermal, heat pump, heat exchanger system comes in variousmonolithic fluid circuit configurations using only one of these:vertical closed loop, horizontal closed loop, “slinky” loop, pond loop,etc. but generally when applied to a system they will have the followingcharacteristics. First, a single fluid circuit configuration is applied.For example, a vertical loop is not typically combined with a horizontalloop. Second, the fluid in the single fluid circuit is generally mixedand delivered to all heating/cooling devices at one temperature. Thismixing of temperature dilutes the ability to transfer heat through areduction of the temperature difference between the fluid and theterminal heat transfer device. The greater the temperature difference,the greater the heat transfer and conversely less temperature differencemeans less heat transfer.

The method, systems and devices of the present invention addresses theefficiency-reducing characteristics of the said typical geothermalsystem by incorporating multiple independently-circuited geothermal heatexchangers, multiple independent variable speed circulating pumps,control valves to direct the fluid flow to either a “warm” or “cool”geothermal fluid header (optional as the flows can remain independent),and sensors to measure fluid temperatures and heat flow based ontemperature difference and mass flow rate, or from a simple btu meter ineach loop and in the warm and cool geothermal fluid headers.Computer-based controls include the software designed to optimize andmanage the flows and temperatures. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing anexample of an efficient system load data according to a preferredembodiment of the present invention including real-time loads, predictedload data as well as present and historical system performance data.

As shown in FIG. 7, the system determines the real time load and thepredicted load and uses the load data in combination with the systemperformance data and historical system performance data to determine theeffective system load. The system uses information such as equipmentload, occupancy, humidity external environment conditions along withuser inputs and the like to determine the real time load. Informationused to determine the predicted load includes information such ashistorical weather data, historical internal loads, occupancypredictions, weather forecast, the fabric thermal mass, surfacetemperature and core temperature and the like as well as user inputs andset points. Examples of user inputs are shown in FIG. 8 as desiredtemperature, humidity, predicted and or planned occupancy of the space,equipment schedule, ventilation and the like. The user input can be byzone, for example an auditorium may be expected to have full occupancyat the same time the office space is not occupied. In this example thetwo zones with different predicted occupancy will have different energyrequirements.

The independent geothermal heat exchangers, in the configuration shownin FIG. 2, are arranged on a two-ended distribution header with separatesupply and return piping that directs “warmer” geothermal fluid to oneend and “cooler” geothermal fluid to the opposite end. Thisconfiguration allows unique operational characteristics including notmixing hot to cold geothermal fluid so that the temperature is notdiluted and retains an ability to transfer heat because of the greatertemperature differences. Second, sensible cooling devices such as activeand passive chilled beams and radiant cooling panels can be suppliedwith much cooler water (typically 55 to 60° F.) for most, if not all, ofthe cooling season by only operating a circulating pump and not engagingrefrigerant-based heat pumps. This is possible with the configurationshown in FIG. 2 because the novel circuiting and controls prevents the“cooler” independent geothermal heat exchangers from being thermallycontaminated with relatively high temperature rejected heat fromrefrigerant-based heat rejection devices.

The rejected heat from refrigerant-based heat rejection devices iscircuited to the “warmer” independent geothermal heat exchangers wheretheir heat is dissipated. The “warmer” geothermal heat exchangers becomemore efficient in heat recovery, in heating mode, due to the highertemperature difference between the fluid and the surrounding earth. Theheat stored in the warmer heat exchangers is available as a first sourcefor heat extraction systems that might be heating domestic hot water,etc. If the building heating load, the extraction of heat from the earthand moving it to heat the building or its systems, is greater than theheat available in only the “warm” geothermal heat exchangers, or if itis more efficient to do this, the “cooler” geothermal heat exchangersare diverted to become a heat source instead of a heat sink and therebythey will be “recharged” to a lower temperature to provide sensiblecooling.

If the annual heating/cooling demands are heating dominated, andadditional heat sources are available such as solar thermal collection,one or more of the “warmer” geothermal heat exchangers can be designatedas the “hottest” and it will receive any solar-generated heat that isnot used immediately. This heat raises the temperature of the soilsurrounding this geothermal heat exchanger and a portion of this heatwill remain available for future use. This allows the system to takeadvantage of natural seasonal temperature swings to capture and storeheat, or cool when it is available for use later in the year when it isneeded. This long term thermal storage increases the availability ofharvested energy for future use, resulting in increased efficiency aswell as providing a mechanism to manage the total energy available inthe exchangers thereby reducing the potential that the energy in theexchangers will become depleted and run short of energy.

The configuration shown in FIG. 6 allows for an optimum mix of thevarious geothermal heat exchanger configurations (vertical, horizontal,pond loop, thermal piles, etc.) to be used simultaneously in a mannerthat controls and optimizes the varying thermal characteristics of eachof these heat exchanger types. This will increase the opportunities touse geothermal and to more cost effectively build geothermal based onthe available land. It also allows the geothermal heat exchangers to bedesigned specifically for long term or short term storage, hot or coldstorage, or direct use a.k.a. no storage such as an open loop system.

This invention also covers an alternative to said covered fluid headerwhich is to connect every geothermal heat exchanger, heat exchanger,source/sink independently and control them independently. This wouldallow for full optimization and could increase efficiency even comparedto the fluid header. This is due to all the same independent, directtemperature uses as described above.

The computer-based controls, in coordination with energy chassis device(FIGS. 1-2) and its embedded energy exchange unit (FIG. 4) describedabove, will monitor and measure heat flow into and out of the ground aswell as determine the thermal response characteristics of eachindependent geothermal heat exchanger, alternative source/sink, to allowthe system operational sequences to be optimized real time andpredictive as actual performance data is measured.

Each independent energy source and or sink has independent performancecharacteristics that are stored in a data base as collective data. Anexample is shown in FIG. 9 with present and historical performancecharacteristics including, energy capacity, energy decay and gain,dissipation rate, efficiency and the like. FIG. 10 shows an example ofdifferent system data and equipment specifications that are used whenselecting equipment and designing the heating/cooling system for abuilding. The system data includes tracing the equipment used and thespecification for the equipment, the piping specifications, radiant andduct specification and specifications for any other equipment connectedwith the system. Each piece of equipment also has specifications andoperating parameters, examples of which are shown in FIG. 10.

FIG. 11 shows energy management computer data types and differentoptimization target parameters. When optimizing the system it isimportant to keep in mind the initial cost, intermediate cost andlifecycle cost. Other important parameters include energy usage, whicheffects the total cost, the impact usage has on the environment, and thevalue of thermal comfort and indoor air quality. Of course, owner anduser requirements and requests should also be considered. The energymanagement computer maintains collective data of the sources and sinksavailable to the system, tracks system load data, and determines theoptimized control method and controls the outputs. Initial systemperformance, historical system performance and historical equipmentperformance is maintained for use during system operation.

FIG. 12 shows building and system controls for components with variableoutputs including pumps, valves, and heat pumps to name a few andprovides examples of design method, engineering and software data. FIG.13 is a schematic block diagram showing examples of system load signals.For example, the system receives equipment failure signals and respondswith equipment failure notification and the system data is communicatedto the user, owner, hardware and/or software engineer, and installationspecialist as appropriate.

FIG. 14 is a schematic block diagram showing an example of an optimizedmethod for controlling the system based on inputs from the targetparameters, system data, collective data related to the system sourcesand sinks and the system load data. Based on the collected data, controlis optimized to measure fluid temperatures and mixing of fluids foroptimized performance.

The flow diagrams shown in FIG. 15 and FIG. 16 show the steps foroptimization of the system performance to meet the needs of theoccupants of the building. As shown, data is collected and stored andused to made decisions for heating and cooling of the interior space anddetermining if the load requirements are met. Referring to FIG. 16, thesteps include determining which sources and/or sinks to use, and whichsources and sinks to mix to best fill the optimization parameters.

FIG. 17 shows examples of data used to design an energy chassis deviceand energy exchange device according to a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention including independent equipment data, buildingmaterial information, building construction data and shows examples ofthe types of data maintained on the system management computer. Theexamples shown are for illustration and not limitation. FIG. 18 is aprocess flow diagram showing an example of design optimization accordingto a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Experimental Results for Energy and Cost Efficiency Analysis

System Performance and Description Summary:

The following is a simulation of a laboratory building that has beensubsequently designed and is now being built for the University ofFindlay. The inventors prepared a system simulation including thebuilding envelope, HVAC, fume hood controls and lighting configurationto provide a lower life cycle cost facility that is more energyefficient compared to standard design and construction. The simulationof this system uses the techniques described in the present patentapplication. The result of these efforts is an integrated buildingenergy system design that when compared to a conventional building andHVAC practices provides substantial benefits to the University ofFindlay including:

-   -   100% outside air (no recirculation) to improve occupant health        and safety    -   Up to 68% energy cost reduction and 35% maintenance cost        reduction    -   Up to 76% peak electrical demand reduction    -   Up to 68% building energy footprint reduction    -   Up to 68% CO2 emission reduction    -   Annual energy and maintenance savings of approximately $1.20 per        square foot of floor area    -   Simple payback period of 4.3 years on the initial additional        investment of $200,000

The system is based on radiant heating/cooling technology embeddedwithin the building structure and coupled with active chilled beams. Theentire system is supplied with heating and cooling fluids from a centralgeothermal heat pump energy plant with a geothermal earth heatexchanger. This design uses both the short term energy storage of thethermally-massive building with the seasonal energy storage of the earthheat exchanger.

When compared to a conventional HVAC System, the inventor's system has afirst cost premium of approximately $200,000 based on an initial cost of$1,400,000 for the system according to the present invention versus$1,200,000 for the conventional HVAC system. These estimates do notinclude any potential financial incentives—there are opportunities toreduce the first cost difference via current government incentives foralternative energy systems that are not included in the costcomparisons.

Comparison to Standard HVAC System:

The inventors prepared a cost estimate and energy simulation for astandard HVAC system typical for this application, but sized to handlethe significant additional requirements of the laboratory fume hoods.The HVAC configuration included a variable air volume air handling unit(the penthouse was increased in size by 800 SF to accommodate thislarger unit). The air handling system was supplied hot water from a newboiler and chilled water from a new air-cooled chiller. Conditioned airwas fed via ductwork to variable air volume reheat boxes which were alsoconnected to the hot water system. Note that this conventional systemrecirculates air from room-to-room whereas the inventors system doesnot. A computer-based building automation system was included in theestimate.

Estimated energy savings for the inventors system are approximately$39,000 per year based on a standard HVAC energy cost estimate of$57,500 per year versus the inventions annual energy cost of $18,500 peryear and the estimated maintenance savings are $7,500 per year based ona standard HVAC maintenance cost estimate of $21,500 per year versus athe inventions annual maintenance cost of $14,000 per year. This yieldsa simple payback period of approximately 4.3 years.

Description of the Building:

This project includes an approximately 40,000 square foot, two storyaddition to the Davis Street Facility on the University of FindlayCampus in Findlay, Ohio. Projected building use includes multiple labswith fume hoods, classrooms, faculty offices and various support spaces.

Design Process:

The inventors completed multiple energy simulations looking at variouscomponents within the building including wall construction, windows,roof insulation, lighting, and the like; tested various configurationsof the invention and determined which areas were providing the bestpositive impact on overall energy use. Building operating schedules andprojected fume hood usage were provided by University Staff. Utilityrate structures were assumed to average $0.075/kWH and $10.00 permillion BTU natural gas.

A base building configuration was also prepared to give us a benchmarkto which to contrast the invention design. In this case the inventorsfollowed the US Green Building Council guideline for LEED certificationand used the ASHRAE 90.1-2007 Energy Conservation Standard as thebaseline for their methodology. The base case building model was assumedto be fully compliant with this standard. The simulation results werequite significant, see Table 1 which shows the proposed building usingASHRAE and LEED standards showing results for invention compared toresults for standard design.

TABLE 1 Changing from This is ASHRAE 90.1- equal to a 2007 Constructionreduction to the invention of the could save following approximatelypercentage Peak Cooling Loads (tons) 28 28% Peak Heating Load (MBH) 17915% Peak Electrical Demand (kW) 287 76% Annual Electrical Usage (KWH)519,833 68% Bldg Energy Footprint (KBTU/SF/Year) 46 68% CO2 Emissions(tonnes/tear) 419 68% Maintenance Costs ($/year) 7,525 35% Energy Costs($/year) 38,988 68% Maintenance + Energy ($/year) 46,513 59% Net Savingsin Annual Maint. & Energy 1.21 59% Costs/SF

The results in Table 1 are based on the full system with the proposedgeothermal system and control options. These calculations were based ondecisions made by the inventors—as those decisions change the energymodel needs to be updated as well.

Energy System Configuration:

The building energy system includes the present invention; the energychassis device that includes the energy exchange unit as shown in FIG.5. This system monitors performance of each system component on a realtime basis and in turn provides hot or chilled water to the buildingfrom the most efficient source.

The energy exchange unit monitors and controls both a combination ofgeothermal earth heat exchangers (this is a configuration that is uniqueto the invention—instead of a single, mixed-flow earth heat exchangerthe present invention uses several and separate them for specificthermal applications) and other heat sources and sinks such as coolingtowers and boilers.

The unique energy saving opportunity with this configuration is itsability to provide chilled water for the radiant floor and activechilled beam systems without starting a heat pump for a significantportion of the year. When in this mode, the system can deliver coolingat an Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER) that is approximately 75 to 100versus a conventional chiller EER of 10 to 15. This allows us to providea significant portion of the cooling at an energy consumption rate thatis approximately one-seventh ( 1/7th) of a regular HVAC system.

The chilled or warm water is distributed via piping to both radiantcooling/heating (PEX tubing embedded in a concrete structure), activechilled beams, and reheat coils. These devices work together to providespace temperature control. Ventilation air is provided by a DedicatedOutside Air System (DOAS) located in the Penthouse Mechanical Room. Thisunit recovers typically wasted energy from building exhaust and uses itto pre-condition outside air used for ventilation. This system provides100% outside air to each room—no air is recirculated from space tospace. This reduces the potential for the spread of airbornecontaminants and odors.

All of the above systems are controlled and optimized by acomputer-based direct digital control system shown in FIG. 15. Thissystem could also provide an energy performance “dashboard” that couldbe located in a public area to provide on-going feedback on buildingperformance.

While the invention has been described, disclosed, illustrated and shownin various terms of certain embodiments or modifications which it haspresumed in practice, the scope of the invention is not intended to be,nor should it be deemed to be, limited thereby and such othermodifications or embodiments as may be suggested by the teachings hereinare particularly reserved especially as they fall within the breadth andscope of the claims here appended.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of designing a geothermal heating andcooling system to heat or cool a building, comprising: selecting atleast one geothermal heat exchanger source; selecting at least onegeothermal heat exchanger sink; predicting a thermal energy demand ofthe building for a selected time period; predicting a thermal energyloss and gain of the at least one geothermal heat exchanger source andthe at least one geothermal heat exchanger sink over the selected timeperiod to meet the predicted thermal energy demand; determining a costof installing and operating the at least one geothermal heat exchangersource and the at least one geothermal heat exchanger sink based uponthe predicted thermal energy loss and gain; running, using a controller,a simulation of a heating and cooling system that includes the at leastone geothermal heat exchanger source and the at least one geothermalheat exchanger sink; optimizing, using the controller, a type,interconnectivity, or size of the at least one geothermal heat exchangersource or the at least one geothermal heat exchanger sink based upon thedetermined cost and the simulation; and generating, using thecontroller, a geothermal heating and cooling system design that includesthe optimized at least one geothermal heat exchanger source and theoptimized at least one geothermal heat exchanger sink.
 2. The method ofclaim 1, wherein predicting a thermal energy demand or predicting athermal energy loss comprises predicting expected load.
 3. The method ofclaim 1, wherein predicting a thermal energy demand or predicting athermal energy loss comprises predicting occupancy of the building, ausage schedule of the building, a weather forecast, or outdoor airquality.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein predicting a thermal energydemand or predicting a thermal energy loss comprises consideringinsulation and conduction properties of the building.
 5. The method ofclaim 1, wherein determining a cost of installing and operatingcomprises considering electrical rate data.
 6. The method of claim 1,wherein the building is an existing building.
 7. The method of claim 1,wherein the building is designed and not constructed, and whereindetermining the cost comprises determining a cost of operating existingequipment, building material costs, and building construction costs. 8.The method of claim 1, further comprising considering at least onedesign limitation when optimizing.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein theat least one design limitation includes land usage, ground conditions,or ground water.
 10. The method of claim 1, further comprisingpredicting an energy efficiency of use of the at least one geothermalheat exchanger source and the at least one heat exchanger sink over theselected time period, and wherein optimizing further comprisesoptimizing based upon the predicted efficiency.
 11. The method of claim10, wherein optimizing based upon the predicted efficiency comprisesoptimizing such that an energy efficiency ratio of the at least onegeothermal heat exchanger source and the at least one geothermal heatexchanger sink is between 75 and
 100. 12. The method of claim 1, whereinthe simulation includes an envelope of the building, fume hood controls,or lighting configuration.
 13. The method of claim 1, wherein thesimulation includes various wall constructions, window placement, roofinsulations, or lighting configurations.
 14. The method of claim 1,further comprising predicting CO₂ emission of the heating and coolingsystem when using the at least one geothermal heat exchanger source andthe at least one heat exchanger sink over the selected time period, andwherein optimizing further comprises optimizing based upon the predictedCO₂ emission.
 15. The method of claim 1, further comprising predicting abuilding energy footprint when using the at least one geothermal heatexchanger source and the at least one heat exchanger sink over theselected time period, and wherein optimizing further comprisesoptimizing based upon the predicted building energy footprint.
 16. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising predicting a building electricalusage when using the at least one geothermal heat exchanger source andthe at least one heat exchanger sink over the selected time period, andwherein optimizing further comprises optimizing based upon the predictedbuilding electrical usage.
 17. The method of claim 1, whereindetermining a cost of operating comprises estimating maintenance costsand energy costs.
 18. The method of claim 1, further comprisingobtaining building information including the size of building, andwherein predicting a thermal energy demand of the building for aselected time period comprises predicting based upon buildinginformation.
 19. A method of designing a geothermal heating and coolingsystem to heat or cool a building, comprising: selecting at least onegeothermal heat exchanger source; selecting at least one geothermal heatexchanger sink; predicting a thermal energy demand of the building for aselected time period; predicting a thermal energy loss and gain for ofthe at least one geothermal heat exchanger source and the at least onegeothermal heat exchanger sink over the selected time period to meet thepredicted thermal energy demand; determining a cost of installing andoperating the at least one geothermal heat exchanger source and the atleast one geothermal heat exchanger sink based upon the predictedthermal energy loss and gain; predicting, using a controller, an energyefficiency of use of the at least one geothermal heat exchanger sourceand the at least one geothermal heat exchanger sink over the selectedtime period; optimizing, using the controller, a type,interconnectivity, or size of the at least one geothermal heat exchangersource or the at least one geothermal heat exchanger sink based upon thedetermined cost and the predicted efficiency; and generating, using thecontroller, a geothermal heating and cooling system design that includesthe optimized at least one geothermal heat exchanger source and theoptimized at least one geothermal heat exchanger sink.
 20. The method ofclaim 19, wherein predicting a thermal energy demand or predicting athermal energy loss comprises predicting expected load.